Storyboarding

One of the most important aspects of the planning and research stage of the production is making sure that every shot is planned so that when going out to film it can be done effectively and efficiently. The best way of planning these shots is with a storyboard. A storyboard shows a shot by shot plan of what is being used in the production. As well as the drawings, the camera angles and the duration of the shots can be included. For my production I have began this process. I have done this with the first two scenes of the production planning the camera shots and duration in detail. As my ideas change however it is difficult to keep these ideas set in stone. 

Below is a page from the storyboard that I have created so far:   

Submarine Analysis

On the theory side of things, we are continuing to look at contempary youth culture films. The most recent one we watched was Richard Ayoade's 'Submarine.' Unlike most youth culture films, Submarine doesn’t focus on the typical youth groups but instead a boy who doesn’t really fall under any. The story follows an eccentric teenage boy called Oliver who is struggling to juggle his new girlfriend, the chance of his parents splitting up as well as other, smaller things. Although the film is generally light hearted, it does cover some genuine teenage issues. On the most part, it goes against most theorists ideas as many of them talk about reinforcing hegemony and the anti-social behaviour. Although Oliver does act slightly anti-social in the industrial estate he is a mild teenager for the most part. The themes and issues that are covered however do fit the conventions of a youth film. The two most prominent themes that arise are relationships and family issues. As mentioned, Oliver gets a girlfriend, who he’s liked for a while, called Jordana. She’s just as eccentric as him but she has other issues affecting her life as her mum is suffering from cancer. The family issues are the fact that Oliver’s mum and dad are having relationship troubles, and may even face divorce. This relates to a huge amount of teenagers as divorce isn’t rare. Just like Oliver, a teenager would try and do anything to keep their parents from splitting up.   

The Main Actor

Since the start of the pre-production process, I have invisioned what the main character would look like. Ideally, he would be a rugged looking ranger with a beard and a cloak. After thinking about potential actors I decided to go with Sam Parsons (below). I chose Sam as he has a rough beard which will fit the overall rugged look and he is 6.3ft which is an appropriate height for a ranger/hero. The next step will be to assemble a costume so that he will look the part even more.   

Pre-Production Plans

One of the most important steps of any production is the pre production stage. This allows the director to get their plans and ideas into order so that when it comes to the production stage it can be done smoothly and efficently. 

For my production, the pre production stage took a while to get into motion as I was unsure of how the story would fit around the five to six minute length. Once I had this sorted however, many of the other ideas fell into place. The main things to consider at this stage is the storyline, the camera shots and then the mise en scene aspects such as the costume, props and location. Many of these apects will be explained thoroughly on separate blog posts. To keep track of my progress throughout the whole process. In green, you can see the pre production stage an how I have managed to stay to the same dates as the planned calender. So far, this is good but I can see myself going over into the production stage as the costume and some props still need to be either made or bought.  

Attack The Block Analysis

In class, we have moved onto watching some contempoary films which are associated with youth culture. Specifically, we have been focusing on gang culture films. One in particular is the film 'Attack The Block' , directed by Joe Cornish. The film has a strong emphasis on Sci-Fi and comedy, but real issues revolving around teenagers are bought up. This film supports Hebdiges theory that teens are presented through the eyes of adults rather than through the teens themselves. This can be seen through a variety of ways. The protagonists of the film could be seen as the antagonists to begin with as they rob a helpless nurse as she comes back from work. This is a fear that many adults would feel if they were to encounter a group such as the gang in Attack the Block. This helps support Gebners theory that television and film impact the way we see the world. However as the film goes on it becomes clear that there are reasons for the group being as they are. For example Moses, the main character, is seen as quite ruthless and independent but we learn later that he is only 15 and has no real connection apart from an uncle who ‘comes and goes’.  That’s why the block means so much to him as it is all he has and he would do anything to protect it. 

Overall, Attack The Block is a bit different from a typical youth culture film due to all the aliens and so on. However, it manages to pull out some interesting points to do with youth and their 'wolfpack' attitude when with friends, especially on an estate in London.              

Historical Youth Culture Films

On the theory side of media studies, we are focusing on how youth are represented through film and television. This is due to the fact that the exam at the end of the year is focusing on this. In previous lessons we have been looking at a variety of films from since the teenager first emerged so in this post I will go through some of the films which we have looked at and discuss how they have been influencial.

A Rebel Without A Cause (1955)

This film was one of the first influential youth culture films as it began to show teen struggles. It revolves around a young male called Jim who is having trouble dealing with typical problems that people his age face. Although it isn’t strongly seen from a teenage perception it does mark a starting point for starting to address these issues.

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (1960)

this film is seen from an adult’s viewpoint and focuses on the rebellious side that teens were beginning to show. It focuses on the fact that teens were starting to go out on a Saturday night and get drunk followed by the morning after. This film was made to help show how this way of living was becoming ever more popular for teenagers and what impact it was having on the rest of society. 

A Taste Of Honey (1961)

A taste of honey focuses on a smaller aspect that affects some teenagers, which is pregnancy. Unlike modern times, the majority saw this as unacceptable so it was a controversial topic. It didn’t just focus on this however, it also featured the fact that teenagers wanted to get away from their parents and have a good time as well as the hardships of growing up.